How to Make God the CEO of Your Business!

Hey love.

In today’s episode I am doing an interview on Jeanette Bridoux’s podcast Sisters of Christ. We dig into HOW to make God the CEO of your business. How to let him take control and lead us. This one goes deep!

I know that if you want to run an online business, or you already are – the secret to your success is surrender.

How to surrender is sometimes the hardest part. Letting go of our plans and exchanging them for His is the only way. I pray this finds you right on time.

Enjoy.

See ya soon,

FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTION:

0:00 

Hey friends, Happy Thursday! Today I am bringing you an external interview that I did with Jeanette Bridoux, from Sisters of Christ podcast. Jeanette really helps women to grow in their relationship with God and walk in their kingdom identity. I’m so excited that I got to jam with her all about how to make God the CEO of your business.

0:21 

And I know that this is going to help all of you who have struggled with really staying in control and wanting to sit in that CEO chair and not really relinquishing that control to God’s plans for your business and your life and allowing him to use you and your business for Kingdom growth and glory.

0:39 

That’s what today is all about. I know you guys are gonna love today’s show. And if you like this, be sure to check out Jeanette’s podcast Sisters of Christ.

1:20 

All right, before we get into today’s podcast, I want to let you know how we can work together. First off, if you just need some clarity girl, you’re going to head to getclarity.gr8.com that is my free workshop. You can also go to stefaniegass.com and take that free class.

2:06 

It really goes through the three major mistakes that we all make when it comes to trying to build a profitable online business, how you can stop making those mistakes, what to do instead. And then what are the steps, the four tier clarity framework to really get that breakthrough. The other ways we can work together are all at stefaniegass.com/courses, there are three steps.

2:27 

Step one is to get clarity with my Clarify Your Calling course. Step two is to grow a massively successful profitable audience using podcasting, which is Podcast Pro University. And then step three is to monetize your podcast using courses, coaching or programs, which is my my mastermind program, 90 days, 20 women all in, and that is Podcast to Profit, all of that stuff, all of those details, all of that info is at stefaniegass.com.

2:56 

Everyone listening, I just finished Stefanie’s Podcast to Profit program. It’s amazing, life changing, totally changed everything for my podcast and my business. But for everyone who doesn’t know who you are, I love for you to just share, like how you even started on this journey?

3:10 

Sure. So what I do today is I help women really get clarity on what that calling is that we’ve all been gifted from birth. Truly, we have these beautiful gifts and these beautiful pieces of who we are, these experiences, and God fine tunes us over time for us to really step up into this one thing. But we all go What’s my one thing, you know? And that’s so confusing for so many women. So I help them uncover that.

3:37 

Then once you know what you’re called to do, we create a profitable online business. Why? Well, because if you get to do your calling work as a business, you will never feel more fulfilled in your entire life. And I teach them how to do that using podcasting. Because it’s one to many we can do it. Most of my women have kids or they’re they’re busy. You can do it one too many. You don’t have to do social media, you don’t have to be on live all the time.

4:02 

And then we create courses and coaching offers to monetize the podcast. That’s what I do today. And the question was, how did I get there? So that’s a really long story. So I’m going to do my best in a cliff notes right now. So I actually graduated with a master’s degree in accounting and finance, which is so hilarious.

4:23 

And I went and climbed the corporate ladder. So always been a go getter, very high achiever that’s just been, you know, instilled in me from childhood. You know, my dad was a high achiever and stability equaled success. And so go get a job, get something that you can depend on, you know, and that was just generationally what he was taught as well.

4:44 

So I did and I climbed this corporate ladder by the age of 26. I was the youngest financial controller in this global comp,any had the BlackBerry, remember those? And I’m like, you know, 24/7 working, which was fine. It was just me. Now, I’ve always been a Christian. I have air quotes going right now, because I was like, yeah, I’m a Christian, I believe in God.

5:03 

But I really didn’t understand what that even meant. Because I had no relationship with God, I wasn’t actively inviting him into any of my choices back in my 20s. And so it was really Stefanie, I was operating from this flesh place throughout my whole 20s.

5:19 

So it was all about money, and achievement, because I thought, that’s what equals love. And I think so many of us have that idea in our hearts that when we achieve, we are loved, right?

5:31 

Oh, good job! Like, that’s when you get those feelings of love and endorphin. And those rushes is when you do good. So that’s what I did, and climbed, did a great job made six figures in my 20s. It was awesome. And then the company shut down.

5:46 

And the plant closed, I was newly married and my husband said, we want to have children, so and I said, wouldn’t there be something I could do from home because my options were move to Germany and work for this company, or figure something else out here. And I’m like, I want to have kids, I want to raise these these babies from home.

6:05 

So I wonder if there’s something I could do. And my mom had just joined a network marketing company. So that was such a gateway into entrepreneurship, for me and for so many others. So I thought, Wow, well, if she can do it, I guess I can. And so that was my first taste of entrepreneurship.

6:21 

The thing about me was, I don’t say I’m going to do something, and not do it. So that was my job, like I had to make it work. And so within three years, I climbed this network marketing ladder all the way to the top 1% of the company. And I’m telling you, it was literally blood, sweat and tears to get there.

6:41 

I mean, to the point of massive anxiety attacks to the point of working at four in the morning, 10 at night, weekends, at this time, I had a son. And so you can only imagine that, how secondary he was coming to this business and my husband was not first, my spirituality definitely wasn’t. First, it was this business. And my entire identity, Jeanette was wrapped up in the success of me in this network marketing company.

7:13 

Now, I didn’t realize that there was anything wrong with that at the time, I just thought, once I make it, it’ll be worth it. You know, we’ll have all this time and all this money. And then I can take a break. And so I just kept fighting for more and more. And the more I would get, the more empty I was. And the more I felt just this discontentment like growing in my spirit.

7:39 

And so 2015 Top of the World, most money I’d ever made, doing great in air quotes, as far as paper is concerned, but super unhealthy, you know, drinking too much, anxiety attacks, all of these things were happening. And I like these sirens were going off. And then something crazy happened, my company rebranded.

8:03 

And everyone left to the new best thing. It was like this combination of storms happened at once. I then was pregnant. So in this one year period, I went from the highest tide to the lowest low of oh my gosh, I’m pregnant. Now I’m 60 pounds overweight.

8:18 

So I’m feeling really bad about myself, my entire identities in this company, and then there’s no money left, like the company basically just crumbled beneath my feet. And the harder I worked, the worse it got, like nothing was happening. And I had a full out identity crisis. This is 2016, which is not so long ago, if you really think about that. And it was in that place.

8:41 

I sat at the computer, and I looked at the budget, and the bank accounts, and I was like, there’s no money left. There’s nothing there. Like, I had to go to my husband, you know, and say, we can’t pay the bills. And we borrowed money from my son’s savings account, who was three years old to pay the bills. And my husband sold his Harley, which was like, gut wrenching, you know, just to pay these bills.

9:05 

And he never, you know, bless him, gift from God, he’s like, it’s fine. We’ll be fine. And I’m over here, like, literally just sobbing and heartbroken because I realized, Jeanette, what was that for? You know, what was this decade of being a workaholic, for? There’s nothing to show for it. I feel the same. When I was at the top of my game as I feel today. Like what was this for? And I was so lost. I was so confused.

9:36 

And at that moment, I surrendered. Oh, my God, I don’t really know you. But I need to know you. There’s nothing left here. Like I don’t know who I am. I don’t know how to be a great mom. I don’t know how to be a great wife. I don’t even know how to be myself because all I’ve ever been is my work.

9:56 

And so what’s so great about Him, He’s waiting, right? Grow close to God and He will grow close to you. And just right there, you just scooped me up. And over the course of about a year, I just saw after Him with everything I had, we got back into church, I could in worship, I would just full surrender.

10:18 

I mean, I could feel Holy Spirit, just penetrating my body, like my heart would just feel so full, I gotten the word I was hearing from God and the Word and like, He was just waiting right there to like, pour this living water into me and like, wake me back up. So that was great. And I was being I was spiritually growing.

10:38 

But I was still, you know, kind of a mess. So I had to really work on myself. So I put, I laid business down. And it was the first time in my entire life that I had laid business down.

10:48 

And I got back to the gym and I got healthy and I poured into motherhood and got right with God, got right with me, my life, my husband, our finances, as best we could, we didn’t have much money, but we were I was like, hey, let’s get back to where we can live on your salary while I figure my life out.

11:06 

And then in 2017, I started being called back to business. And I was terrified. Jeannette, because I felt like, Am I gonna allow this to become an idol again. Because you know what God creates for good, the enemy is right there to be like, just a little bit more, just like so this beautiful gift that I had of being this powerful businesswoman.

11:29 

There’s a gray line there and you have to constantly tie the line, you have to constantly inventory. Am I doing this my way or God’s way. And so I did it God’s way that time. And I just heard the whispers and I would just do it. And I started with lives. And I’d help women first grow a marketing business online, because that’s all I knew how to do. So I started there.

11:48 

And then I started coaching with them on the air, and they’re like, Wow, you really help with this clarity stuff. And then I started, I had a few courses. They weren’t the right courses, but I started with what I knew. And one day something crazy happened. A girl got in my DMs. And she’s like, Hey, can I hire you for one of those clarity coaching calls that you do? And I was like, Oh, that’s what it’s called. Thank you! Had no idea, right?

12:14 

And so I started doing those coaching calls, which led me to YouTubing and blogging, frustrated there because I had the little kids. And so I prayed and the Lord, He’s so faithful, He wants us to win. And I had a dream in 2018. And it was so vivid and so clear. And he told me to start a podcast. I was like, Huh, I don’t even listen to podcasts, Jeanette.

12:37 

And I was like, what? I don’t know how to do that. Well, I plugged in a mic. I had a $20 staticky Amazon mic, I plugged it in. And I just started talking and open your mouth and He shall fill it, right? So I did. And here I am, three short years later, with a business that is global, with, you know, three people that work with me with more impact and income that I’ve ever dreamt I couldn’t have dreamed of.

13:04 

Because it wasn’t my dream. It was God’s dream for me. And I’m still present. I’m still here. I’m healthy. My marriage is thriving, my children are thriving, my motherhood is thriving. And sure it’s not perfect. But it feels so God centered. So that’s how I got here. Wow.

13:23 

That is so amazing. It’s cool to hear. I think I’ve heard like bits of the story and different like podcasts and stuff like that. But hearing it all together. I’m just like, wow, like seeing the faithfulness of God, like all through that and even like, something you mentioned, and it’s like, a pattern that God does.

13:39 

I feel like that maybe many women have experiences like He takes us through the journey to the end of ourselves. And so it’s like, isn’t He always there? Like, wait, like you were saying, like the waiting and like, I relate to that so much.

13:53 

Because I went through that, like always performing and thinking that like when I initially started like freelancing and doing everything like that, I thought, oh, like, as soon as I make I had this number in my head, I was like, oh, I’ll make $10,000 a month, and then like, everything will be good.

14:06 

Like, I was fall, and then every high and low. I was just like a mess. So I totally relate to that. And then it’s like, I remember, my soul saw a small whisper where I was like, Hey, this is what you’re supposed to be doing. And I was like, God, let me just run this one more program and I’ll do it you what you say.

14:24 

I can’t believe I ever thought that. And like, I think there’s that fear, there that a lot of us can relate with. It’s like the fear of what if I let go and do it His way. Think like you’re saying, like, I didn’t know him. So when you knew Him, it’s like you had that confidence of like, Oh, I can just give it to you and you’re gonna take care of it.

14:45 

Yes, absolutely. It’s this pivotal moment of, am I really ready to, not ready, am I willing to relinquish control over this business or this thing or whatever your thing is and you know what it is? Is it the marriage? Is it your health? Is it your body? Is it motherhood?

15:05 

You know, is it a bit whatever that those things are that you’re clutching to with white knuckled ferocity, and you need to let them go, so that God can take them over? That’s the test. You know, and when we do want to win the test, do you want to hand it over to Him, so that He can just make it easy and free and light?

15:27 

And here’s the thing, whatever that thing is, you’re clutching? God loves it more than you do. So it’s the question of, are you willing to hand it to Him, so that you can be free to just walk in it instead of carry it?

15:43 

Wow, that’s so good. And what are some actual advice on letting go, say, like a wonderful thing? And they’re like, Well, I’d like I know, I’m holding on to this too tight, or I know I’m focusing in on that business or whatever area of your life? What are some practical things that women can do to relinquish that control?

16:03 

Yeah, I think the first thing is a prayer asking God to place in your heart, the desire to relinquish the control, right? Because we’re so afraid to let go of the control. So what if we ask God to give us the desire to let go of the control. So an example prayer, because I know sometimes we get stuck on how to pray, and there is no right or wrong way to pray.

16:25 

Because God is your friend, He is your father, He is your counselor, He has everything that you’ve ever needed, and He understands your words more than you can even try to articulate them. He knows your thoughts. Anyway, He knows your heart, He’s waiting for you to say the words.

16:40 

So something like, you know, Father, God, I just pray that you would give me the desire to relinquish this control, or this obsession, or this fear, or this unhealthy behavior, or this obsession with my business or this workaholism that I have got, I see it, and it’s unhealthy, and it’s hurting me.

17:00 

I’m asking you to break those bonds, break these chains from my life, from my heart, and just replaced that with a desire to hand it to you, so that I can be free from this, I know that you will love this, you will heal this problem or love this thing more than I do and can and I need your strength. I need your answers. I need the mentors.

17:21 

I need the books, I need the provision to get the help that I need. Lord, please take the wheel here. Like I trust you fully, I surrender this problem to you, in Jesus’ name, Amen. And mean it. You know, I think one of the best things I ever did was hide in the bathroom, and allow myself to pray with emotion and cry and get angry, I punched the steering wheel when I was driving one time.

17:46 

So I was praying in the Spirit and I had some fire. And like we’re over here like Lord in our head quiet, like, get somewhere where you can be, set free in your prayer life. And maybe that’s not in front of other people maybe and that shouldn’t be. So if you’re feeling awkward about that, go somewhere safe and alone and let it rip.

18:07 

Because when you knock on the floorboards of heaven, He will hear you and He will respond. So that’s one number one is you must pray. Number two, is you have to practice and intentionally try. So, one thing I’m struggling through right now is this constant battle of control over the protection of my children. Right, so I have two boys seven a half, four and a half.

18:33 

And every year school starts coming around, oh my gosh, we pulled them out and put them in private school and oh, no, this thing is happening. And I don’t know if I trust this or that. And then oh, no, they’re going to talk about this in the school.

18:44 

And like I just spiral out of control over this fear that something’s going to get to my kids, you know, and so this is something I’m constantly praying over this that I can relinquish this control. It’s better, but I my flesh creeps in. And I let my mind come back to this. And so what I do? Because I’m on step two, I am praying for this, right?

19:07 

And we’re not always just, it’s over. It’s a work, it’s progress. And so I’ll catch myself. So I’m very intentional with my thoughts, okay, and I’m taking captive the thought, why am I thinking this? And then I’m asking myself, is this truth? Or is this a lie? Okay, and so you inventory the thought.

19:28 

When it happens, truth, or lie, there’s no in between, okay, you can’t have truth and a lie. It is or it isn’t. It’s white, or it’s black. And so for me, I’m like, somebody coming to put a thought in my child’s head that’s gonna ruin their entire life because of something, whatever. That’s a lie. Yeah, I have planted seeds of truth and resilience and the protection of God and His warring angels over them for the past four years.

20:00 

With fierce, incredible prayer, I am not worried that God doesn’t have their back. Are they going to hear something at school? Yes, they sure are. Are they going to see something they shouldn’t see too young? Yeah, they probably are. But I’m armoring for them right now, right? Like we are already talking about those things.

20:18 

They already know what could happen. They know how to handle it. They know how to talk to God about things that they’re unsure of is right. It’s a lie. So right there, I capture the thought. I notate that it’s a lie. And then I can hand it to God.

20:32 

And that’s what I do the next step, step three, hand the lies to God. So then it’s Lord, I recognize this lie. I need you to take this from my heart, body, mind, spirit, soul, and remove it from you right now in the name of Jesus and replace it with the truth. And guess where the truth is?

20:50 

It’s in the Bible, it’s in the word. And so you can go straight to Scripture, you can Google it, you can put verses about my children. We get to rewire our brain on a daily basis, your eye-gates and irrigates, they are straight nerve pathways into your brain. It’s scientifically proven.

21:12 

So when you take the light out, and we’ve asked God to remove that from our brain, we can plant something new in there. Let’s rewire the thought process so that we can begin to think of things immediately in the light in the truth. How great would it be to wake up every day and everything you think about and everything you look at?

21:32 

Your thought immediately goes truth. And you never even have to have this battle with yourself. We have this opportunity to rewire our thoughts. And I think that that’s such a powerful thing that we can do.

21:45 

So one is pray, two is you inventory, capture the thought, take the captive lie versus truth and three, release it, give it to God and replace it with a scripture or a truth verse.

21:55 

Nice. I love that so much. I was literally just reading a scripture today. It was from Ezekiel, I think 11. And he was talking about I will give them an undivided heart. So like when you were saying that, it’s like literally, I know, I was, wow, undivided heart like not that you never like, turmoil of like, Oh, this or Oh, that or is this the right thing like that we constantly faced.

22:23 

And I know that comes up in business too, life, business this is for every area and I think that’s a key right there is realizing that your business or your idea, your creativity or whatever the thing is, like is not separate from God.

22:38 

When we are in God, everything we touch has God, you know, it has His wisdom for we need to hear his voice, so I think that’s even like an I guess extra step. Or like another step. And I know you do this in your business. It’s like, once you’ve even like the truth. And I feel like you even reference it. It’s like waiting on the Lord, your own journey when you’re like I waited on Him and I heard His voice.

23:06 

Yes, that is so important. Because we’re just like I’m good now. And I feel great. So now I’m just gonna make all these decisions, like unilaterally without Him. And then you don’t hear from Him once, I didn’t hear start a podcast, like that’s all I needed from you have a nice life.

23:24 

God, you know, I was like, oh, now we’re besties because you’ve been up in my dreams, excuse me. And so at that moment, here’s the thing for all of you listening that have a business or I don’t care if you have a business or not, you can do this in any part of your life. When you position God as a CEO, so think of this as a business analogy, okay.

23:47 

I decided in 2000 and it was 18 really, when all of this was like just came shattering around the clarity of like, Holy smokes, no pun intended. It’s God, I’m doing this His way. And so I put Him at the CEO. So think about this, when you run a company, and you have a CEO, do you get to make decisions without knocking on the door of your CEO and saying, Hey, I have an idea. I have a proposal, you know.

24:14 

I want to hire somebody new. I want to spend some money. I have an initiative. No, no, you schedule a meeting, no matter how busy that CEO is. You draft up a proposal, you get all gussied up, and you go in there with confidence, right? And you say, this is my idea. I know. And you hang out with that CEO, and you get feedback. And you guys are back and forth.

24:17 

And the CEO may say that is amazing idea. Go run spearhead that idea. Run that race, girl. Or he may say, you know, I don’t think we’re quite ready for that yet. Let’s wait another six months before we implement your plan. Or he might actually say I don’t like that plan. We’re gonna go ahead and veto that one. So your CEO is making every decision.

25:03 

This is how you must operate in your life. And I know this is like, Oh my gosh, that’s amazing. Well tactically how is that? I save the best of me for the Lord. And that’s in the morning like I am… Are you a morning person or a night person? Where’s the best of you? Save that for God and hang out with him in that time.

25:25 

I’m reading the Bible. I’m praying. Sometimes I’m just sitting there. How often do you just sit and soak? You know, it’s that special time every day. When is that for you? The next thing is all day. I’m talking all day. And this is Practice, practice becomes a habit, which becomes a routine.

25:46 

I’m praying. I mean, this is probably every hour. And what’s funny is, you know, it’s like, I’ll just catch myself in the middle of a prayer. I didn’t make the intentional choice to begin praying. I’m like doing dishes. And I’m like, and then I pray for, you know, Tally, who’s in the hospital right now. Just give her strength, Lord, I’m like, I’m praying, you know, like, I don’t even know.

26:09 

We just like, yes, that’s what I want. I want Holy Spirit to run my life. I don’t want to run my life. It’s too much pressure. I don’t want to carry the burdens of my business. I don’t want to carry the burdens of being the perfect mom, or the perfect wife, or having the perfect home or whatever. I want to take action, because Holy Spirit prompts me.

26:32 

And then I have Holy Spirit truth in my brain, and I have Holy Spirit love in my heart. And then I’m operating from such a place that I’m free, and I’m light. So it’s that prayer life. That’s more than you ever think is normal. Okay.

26:46 

All day, every day, begin set a timer on your phone once an hour, I don’t care what comes out of your mouth. Just try. And especially when I’m looking at my business, God, do you want me to do that summit? Lord, do you want me to have that interview? God, who’s meant for this program, send them my way.

27:05 

Like, you know, He wants to give us what we asked for. But he also knows what’s best for us. And he knows timing. We are on Heaven’s timeline, not our own. So when we relinquish control, we can trust it’s all gonna work out perfectly, according to His plan, which is better than mine. So it’s that CEO mindset, bringing it to Him in prayer constantly, constantly, constantly.

27:29 

And then the last piece here is you have to take action. So Janette, you mentioned you waited on the Lord to give you this direction. I absolutely did. But I began moving my feet. You know,

27:43 

I don’t understand the end destination. I still don’t know where he’s taking me. But it’s like, I know, right now, I know for today, where I’m positioned. So I’m gonna show up with everything that I have, and do the best good works that I am equipped to do today, and I’m gonna go like, and then I wait, you know, and I’m like, Hey, now what’s next? I didn’t hear anything. Cool. I’ll do it again. Okay, what’s next? Didn’t hear it. Okay, I’ll do it again, you know.

28:12 

Somebody, once upon a time told me this concept of like, I don’t care what you do. You work in a restaurant and your job is scraping gum off the bottom of the table. After people leave. You do that the best you can you know how you show up for the gum under that table.

28:15 

Like you were showing up, you know, for your multimillion dollar business plan. You just scrape that gum and you do it with a smile, and you show up and you pray while you do it. And I guarantee you, there’s a plan that has something to do with you being efficient, effective, productive, and having a great attitude while you were in the trenches. We’re made in the trenches.

28:51 

So just love it. Just take action and be obedient. And then when you hear the whisper, number four, last thing, you have to do it, we can’t pray for these answers, in these opportunities, in this revelation, in this transformation, and then not do it.

29:07 

So when I heard start a podcast, I didn’t want to do that. I didn’t know how what that meant, what I would say what it would be about. What if I failed? What if nobody listens? What if they think I’m weird? I am weird, but that’s fine. And I’m like, but God said. And so when God says you do.

29:33 

Wow, that was so amazing. Yes. I’m excited to read listen to this. This analogy with the CEO like wow, Jesus, and I love for you to just pray over the women listening who are facing those fears, aren’t sure what to do, want to relinquish things to God but are still like in those kind of starting stages.

29:57 

Yeah. I’d love that. Lord God, thank you for this beautiful opportunity and time to sit with my friend Jeanette. And each and every one of these incredible women who are listening, who will listen, I ask you right now in the name of Jesus to cover them in just your absolute love for protection.

30:17 

And that you would just remind them, place in their hearts a spirit of belief that there is an incredible plan and anointing over their lives, and that you have something incredible in store for their futures. I pray that their will would be replaced with your will for their lives, that their dreams would become your dreams, because we know God that your dreams are bigger, better, more infinite, more fruitful, and more fulfilling than anything we could ever imagine on our own.

30:50 

And then finally, Lord, I just ask that you would open the doors for them, allow them to experience healing, revelation, transformation, that confidence that they need to leap and to say yes, to whatever that thing is that’s on their heart. God, I ask that whatever needs restoration, whatever is broken, whatever is hurting them, or whatever is suffering, Lord, that You would take that and heal it and place your hands around it and make good of that because, Lord, we know that you waste nothing.

31:19 

Nothing is wasted in the kingdom of God and that these women have walked these traumas and trials and things on purpose, for a purpose, God and I asked you to help them rise into that purpose so that they can help others. We are so grateful for your endless love for the path that you’ve already laid beneath our feet.

31:38 

And we can’t wait to walk it out with you, God, thank you for joining us today and Holy spirit being present. And I just asked you to close us out, Lord by sending all of these women love and encouragement and belief that they are equipped to create amazing change for your kingdom, in Jesus’ name. Amen.